M HKA opens new season with exhibition on censorship and artistic resistance
The Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp (M HKA) has launched its new exhibition season with a programme that explores themes of censorship, artistic freedom and political expression. The centrepiece of the season is the group exhibition we refuse_d, which brings together the work of 15 international artists whose practices focus on resistance, persistence and the necessity of artistic expression.
The new season also marks a moment of renewed stability for the museum. In recent months, there has been considerable debate after plans suggested that M HKA could lose its museum status as part of a restructuring of the Flemish museum landscape. That proposal has since been revised, and the institution is now presenting a range of exhibitions, installations and international collaborations as part of its latest programme.
Confronting censorship and marginalisation
The exhibition we refuse_d examines what it means to continue creating in circumstances marked by censorship, displacement and silenced voices. Developed through an ongoing dialogue between artists and curators, the project presents refusal not as withdrawal but as an active stance, an assertion of presence and autonomy through art.
The exhibition includes works by artists such as Walid Raad, Jumana Manna, Khalil Rabah, Emily Jacir and Taysir Batniji. Many of the participating artists have a Palestinian background or address themes including diaspora, censorship and political pressure.
M HKA says the exhibition aims to provide a platform for artistic voices that have been rejected, cancelled or marginalised in recent years. Several of the works have been difficult or impossible to present elsewhere, while others were newly commissioned for the project.
The concept of we refuse_d echoes the spirit of the Salon des Refusés in nineteenth-century Paris, where artists whose work had been rejected by the official Salon created an alternative exhibition space.
Similarly, the artists in we refuse_d reflect on moments when creative voices are marginalised and examine how artists respond by forging new spaces for expression and solidarity. Through installations, images, performances and other media, the exhibition explores themes of resilience, heritage and collective care, while questioning the systems that attempt to silence artistic voices.
Nomadic Monument for Gaza
As part of the programme, the museum will also host the Nomadic Monument for Gaza, an initiative by artist Leo Reijnders. The monument was created by artists and architects from The Hague in response to the war in Gaza.
The project travels with the HOPE Foundation, which supports artistic and cultural initiatives with children in Gaza. According to the organisers, the aim is to offer young people opportunities to engage with art and culture in the hope of contributing to a meaningful daily life.
Around the monument, M HKA is organising a public programme with talks, performances and exhibitions developed in collaboration with partners including Het Toneelhuis, Cloud Force One, Uitgeverij Jurgen Maas, De Wolkenbreier and Tommy Simoens Gallery. These events will explore Palestinian culture.
Alongside we refuse_d, M HKA is also presenting Cosmic Body – First Incision by Belgian artist Stef Van Looveren. The site-specific installation features sound-producing sculptures and explores the intersections between body, space and ritual.
The exhibition was originally developed by the Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha. After its presentation in Qatar, Antwerp is hosting the exhibition’s first and only European stop. It will run from 13 March to 7 June.
#FlandersNewsService | MHKA, Museum of Contemporary Art in Antwerp © PHOTO BELGIAN FREELANCE
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